All In Trades #9: "Secret Origins, Vol. 1-6"
By cbishop 2 Comments
| Date | CT #9: | View: | Attached to Forum: | Back/ Next |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 02/13/15 | Secret Origins, Vol. 1-6 | (Blog) (Forum) | Secret Origins | (Back) (Next) |
| 12-Month Trades is now All In Trades. I still think that one year of issues per trade is a workable format, because it certainly works when a publisher reprints a twelve issue mini-series. Publishers don't seem to do this when they reprint ongoing or discontinued series though, so I want to be a little more realistic in my proposals. This means the title change was necessary. Other than that, it's still the same idea: an entire series collected into volumes. That's why I'm continuing the 12-MT series numbering with AIT. Thanks for reading. -cb |
This time around, it's the 1986 version of DC's Secret Origins title. DC is just a couple of issues away from ending their current Secret Origins title with issue #11. No surprise, as they were priced at $4.99 an issue, and the stories were written as if they are meant to be seamed into the characters' stories in later trades of those characters' series. Not a bad thing for those series, but not great reading for individual issues of SO.
However, DC has published a trade of issues #1-4 of the current series, and will presumably collect the remaining issues. This and the fact that Convergence is reaching back to the days of Crisis on Infinite Earths and Zero Hour seems like a good time to reach back to the 1986 series and reprint an entire series of cool origins.
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| Proposed Title: | Secret Origins |
| Alternate Title: | DC Comics Classics Library: Secret Origins. |
| Vol. 1 Collecting 9 Issues: |
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| Vol. 2 Collecting 9 Issues: |
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| Vol. 3 Collecting 9 Issues: | |
| Vol. 4 Collecting 9 Issues: |
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| Vol. 5 Collecting 9 Issues: | |
| Vol. 6 Collecting 9 Issues: |
| Covers: (click to enlarge) |
For the cover to Volume 1, the first issue is a no-brainer. The black background makes the image slick, and it still holds up today. Plus, it's a definite sign that this is a trade paperback for the 1986 series. The DC Bullet gets replaced with the current DC symbol, and most of the text gets removed, including the corner and issue boxes. Just the title and the artwork for a stunning cover.
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The Volume 2 cover is Secret Origins #10. It's the standout issue of the series, with four separate possible origins for The Phantom Stranger. Again, with just the SO title and the artwork... real nice.
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I was a bit conflicted about the Volume 3 cover. For the first two volumes, I went with the first issues collected in the volume. The Uncle Sam/ Guardian cover of issue #19 is okay, but a white background cover has to be completely stunning for me to want to use it, simply because they have a tendency to get dirty or marked up easily. The Dr. Fate/ Blue Devil cover of issue #24 is cool, but I feel that neither character is well known enough. They should be, but currently they're not. The Doom Patrol used to have a hot, hot title, so I'd really like to use Annual #1, but they've cooled to obscurity these days. So in the end, I felt that out of the issues collected in this volume, Batgirl carries the most heat these days. So I went with issue #20.
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For the Volume 4 cover, my personal favorites are the Plastic Man/ Elongated Man cover, and the Midnight/ Nightshade covers, but neither of those are big draws for the consumer. A gatefold cover of the puzzle image from issues #33-35 would be cool, but a little awkward with the thick spine of the TPB. So I think the money is on the JSA cover of issue #31.
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For the Volume 5 cover, I'm tempted to go with The Flash, from Annual #2, and I feel strongly that DC would probably go with that one. Also, with the heat they currently have over the TV show Arrow, the Green Arrow/ Speedy cover of issue #38 wouldn't be a bad choice. However, I feel like it's good for DC to get the Legion of Super-Heroes out there whenever possible, so I'd go with the issue #42 cover, without the Grim Ghost sidebar. It kind of homages an All-Star Comics cover, so that's a plus.
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For the Volume 6 cover, I feel like DC would go with the issue #44 cover of Batman and The Mud Pack, because let's face it, Batman sells everything. For my own taste, I like the Blackhawk cover, but it's not a full cover image. So my preference would be the Teen Titans cover of Annual #3, but I think a more sentimental cover from issue #50- with everything being packed up and hauled off- is the one to go with.
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| There was one Secret Origins trade paperback in 1989, but it is long since out of print. The cover is great though. |
| Would you buy this if it were reprinted in TPB? Let me know in the comments, and thanks for reading. |